How to clean glasses

How should I clean my glasses? A question asked many times over the years.

By caring for our spectacles, we naturally increase their lifespan, which in turn makes us more sustainable, as we do not need to replace them as often. 

With daily wear they naturally get covered in grease, sweat, makeup and general dust and dirt. They are exposed to our surroundings, like a dusty workplace, or the garden. We stand in the bus stop in the rain and they get wet, sit on the beach and they get covered in sand. We go through a lot together, and so we really should care for them. 

For a thorough clean wash your hands and start by rinsing the lenses and frames with luke warm water under the tap. This helps to was off any dirt or particles, that may lead to scratches when wiping the lenses. 

Take some mild hand soap (if it is gentle to your skin, it is gentle to your glasses) and avoid detergents or alcohol based solutions. 

Use a damp cloth with hand soap on to wipe the frames, on the interior and exterior. Be gentle around motifs and intricate details. If your nose pads need cleaning a small toothbrush can work well to get into the nooks and crannies, but try to avoid it touching the lenses. Then re-wipe the frame with a clean rinsed cloth to remove any spare soap residue. 

Adding a bit of the hand soap onto your fingers work it onto the lenses in a circular motion - making sure to do both sides. Rinse thoroughly, and rub dry with a microfibre cloth. Avoid tissues, t-shirts and any other strange materials you may consider. We provide a free microfibre cleaning cloth with all orders because we care. 

This process is exactly the same when cleaning sunglasses. 

If you are cleaning them on the go, then if there is no option to rinse first, you would just need to use a cleaning solution (often 30ml which will fit in a bag) along with your microfibre cloth.  

As well as cleaning them, we can make them last longer by simply removing them using two hands. It stops any unnecessary strain on the sides. Same goes for wearing them on top of your head, you can stretch them and they lose their shape. 

It is good periodically to check any screws, that may work loose on your frames with a small screwdriver. By keeping them in check, it will prevent a lens falling out or a temple side dropping off.